Weaving in Beauty

09/04/2026

Important update! We'll be closed on Monday, September 7, to observe Labor Day. We'll weave, knit, dye, and crochet like we always do; we're just not going to do it with the cash register or the door open. To prepare for this, please review the following list and come see us today or tomorrow if you need support:
* Do you have enough yarn to get through the next three days?
* What about knitting needles, crochet hooks, and weaving tools?
* Be sure you have enough Yucca soap. Running out can be a real problem.

Mary will be out Tuesday-Friday next week, so Tammy, Tanita, and Bryan will see you starting Tuesday. If we need to change the shop hours, we'll let you know.

Happy Labor Day. Although it seems like Memorial Day was 15 minutes ago.

09/02/2026

The business plan is ready, the web page is nearly done, and we'll be filing the incorporation papers as soon as they're ready. To all of you generous people who have asked me how you can contribute, here is our startup fundraiser. Thank you for all of the support and encouragement we have received for this project. Let's spin!

Shimá's Rainbow Fibers is launching a startup wool mill in downtown Gallup, New Mexico, wit… Mary Walker needs your support for Support Shimá's Rainbow Fibers

08/28/2026

https://mercantile.weavinginbeauty.com will be undergoing maintenance for about four hours this evening. Don't worry, you can buy all the yarn you want tomorrow.

In the meantime, please enjoy this pretty nice picture from Monument Valley! If you're never taken a sunset tour there, you should seriously consider fixing that.

08/27/2026

Now that the big news about the mill and our kick-off fundraiser is out of the bag, we'd like to show you one of the workshops that we'll doing September 17-20: Dye the Rainbow with Indigo, Bugs, and Sticks with Mary Walker.

This all-day workshop will take you through the process of dyeing yarn fire-engine red with cochineal. It's a process that goes back to the 17th century, and it has to be done right to get the advertised results. We'll combine that with indigo dyeing and throw in some local rabbitbrush yellow to get any color in the rainbow.

We have had many requests for this workshop, and 100% of the $300 fee goes to the mill fund! There is a session on Thursday, September 17th, and another on Friday, September 18th, so pick your day and see red! And blue! It's a workshop, not a demonstration, so come prepared to dye! Register at https://mercantile.weavinginbeauty.com/product/shimas-rainbow-fiber-mill-fund-raising-kickstarter-learn-contribute-and-have-a-bunch-of-fun/

08/24/2026

Join the Mt. Kearsarge Indian Museum for a fascinating and engaging seminar with acclaimed Diné (Navajo) master weaver, educator, and author Lynda Teller Pete on Saturday, August 29, 2026, at 2 PM.

For more than seven generations, Lynda’s family has created award-winning textiles in the traditional Two Grey Hills style. Originally from Two Grey Hills, Newcomb, NM, Navajo Nation, Lynda comes from a family of accomplished weavers, loom and tool makers, and survivors of government residential schools. She carries this family knowledge forward through her own weaving, teaching, writing, and collaborations with museums and fiber arts organizations around the world.

During this special presentation, Lynda will share a firsthand history of Navajo weaving, exploring its artistry, cultural significance, traditions, and enduring legacy. The seminar will also include an interactive opportunity for attendees to ask questions and handle Navajo weaving tools and hand-spun wool.

Lynda is the co-author of Spider Woman’s Children: Navajo Weavers Today and How to Weave a Navajo Rug and Other Lessons from Spider Woman, the first Navajo weaving publications written by Diné weavers. Her many honors include the 2023 Native Treasures Legacy Award, the 2022–2024 Luce Indigenous Knowledge Fellowship, and the 2024 School of Advanced Research Rollin and Mary Ella King Native Artist Fellowship.

📅 Saturday, August 29, 2026
🕑 2:00 PM
📍 Mt. Kearsarge Indian Museum
18 Highlawn Road, Warner, NH 03278
FREE — Registration is required!

👉 Learn more about Lynda’s work at navajorugweavers.com

08/24/2026

After considering every possible reason not to do it, we are developing a business plan for a small wool mill to operate in downtown Gallup. We're tired of seeing Navajo-Churro go to the landfill, tired of begging people to scour it, and embarrassed by the carbon footprint created by shipping Navajo-Churro wool across the country and back again for processing.

We have acquired a site here on Coal Avenue, the former Shimá Traders and Pawn, and we are working to make the mill a reality in 2027. That's where you come in. We are kickstarting this effort with a (very) small fiber gathering from September 17-20. We'll offer workshops, demonstrations, tours of the new building, and presentations of our business plan. Why invest money in cryptocurrency when you could be part of a wool mill? We thought you'd see it our way!

Workshops offered include basketry, natural dyeing with cochineal and indigo, knitting techniques, and hand-painted skeins. We hope to add a spinning workshop, so stay tuned for that. See the workshop offerings at https://mercantile.weavinginbeauty.com/product/shimas-rainbow-fiber-mill-fund-raising-kickstarter-learn-contribute-and-have-a-bunch-of-fun/

Oh, and there will be a silent auction!

We have gotten permission to have vendors set up in the walkway next to the store on Saturday and Sunday, so if you have fiber-related items to sell or are a permitted food vendor, please message us and we'll talk.

We know it's short notice, but the pieces only recently started coming together. Let's get this project going! We'll add more on the workshops over the next couple of days!

After 28 years of sending fibers across the country for processing and bringing them back here to sell, we are ready to open our own fiber processing mill.

07/29/2026

https://www.facebook.com/share/p/191HpuvZWb/

Sharing info from the Heard Museum on their call for Artist Applications for the 69th Annual Indian Fair and Market, March 6-7, 2027.

Deadline to apply: September 7, 5 pm, Arizona time.

For more info, or to apply, click here: heard.org/fair-artists

07/29/2026

🎉 The full schedule is here! 🎉

Join us July 31–August 9 in Gallup, New Mexico, for the 104th Annual Gallup Inter-Tribal Indian Ceremonial—featuring rodeo action, world-famous parades, traditional dance performances, Navajo Song & Dance, the Juried Art Exhibit Hall, royalty events, family activities, and much more.

🎟️ Save time and purchase your tickets online before you arrive!
Adults are $15, kids 12 and under are free, and parking is free.

Buy tickets now at GallupCeremonial.com/tickets and start planning your Ceremonial experience!

07/29/2026

Weaving in Beauty will be there as a vendor.

Send a message to learn more